Once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning entered this season as the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup. On paper, their roster is loaded with talent. At the end of the 2018-19 regular season, they entered the playoffs as the top seed and winners of the Presidents’ Trophy for the best record in the NHL, but they ended up getting swept in a shocking upset by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs. This season, they have found themselves behind the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division for much of the season. Tampa Bay currently has a record of 43-21-6, good for 92 points, but they have lost seven of their last ten games, including their last two in a row going into the coronavirus hiatus. If the league decided to move directly to the postseason, the Lightning would open with a seven-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that is young and inconsistent — but capable of taking advantage of momentum, which is a powerful force in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Are you considering NHL futures as part of your online betting? Then don’t miss our thoughts about the current state of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning 2019-20 Season Analysis
While Tampa Bay has dropped seven of ten, they still have the best record of any team in the NHL since December 23. When they took on the Ottawa Senators on December 17, they had a record of 16-12-1, in sixth place in the Atlantic, 13 points behind Boston. In that game, Nikita Kucherov found himself benched for the majority of the second and third periods, as well as overtime, for turning over a puck that gave the Senators a game-tying goal. However, the Lightning delivered in overtime. They would lose two more games but then won ten in a row starting on December 23, with a record of 26-8-2 since.
Offensive Analysis
Kucherov has been a major factor in the offensive resurgence that the Lightning have pulled off. Since December 23, he has 48 points, with 21 goals, in 35 games. Victor Hedman has turned on the offense from the blue line as well, with 26 points (including four goals) in 34 games, making himself a candidate for a Norris Trophy finalist position. He leads all of the Lightning with a +29 in plus-minus, which is the goal differential during the time he has been on the ice when the game is at even strength.
Defensive Analysis
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is the defending Vezina Trophy winner for the league’s top netminder, and he is headed for a second consecutive honor. He is first in the league in wins with 35, and he has posted a .938 save percentage at even strength since December 23, tops in the NHL during that time frame. He has seen 696 shots, third in the league, over that time, so it’s not like the defense is blocking a ton of shots in front of him.
Key Numbers & Key Players
The Lightning used the trade deadline to bring in some help. They sighed Zach Bogosian in February, a defenseman who will add some physicality for a team that got shoved around by Columbus in last year’s playoffs and had continued to get shoved around in the early going this season. The Lightning also added forwards Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman, two other players who land big hits and crash the net, again adding to the physical dimension of their team’s overall play. Anthony Cirelli, just 22, has given himself a new season high with 44 points, including 16 goals, in 68 games played. He is also solid on defense, as he leads the team’s forwards in shorthanded time on the ice per game (2:49).
Playoffs panorama and Championship Odds
Tampa Bay remains the favorite to skate off with Lord Stanley’s Cup when the league resumes play, with +700 odds to Win the Stanley Cup. The team has the talent and speed up front, the goaltending in back, and the blueliners in between. It just remains for the team to execute, but that has been the rub for this team. Given the lack of value and the lack of performance, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on the Lightning, not with the hungry Bruins leading the division.
